Strange Land: Hawkeye Down
by Baltowolfdog
Summary: Incident report: The A-10B, dubbed Hawkeye, has gone missing on a routine flyover of the 38th parallel. Pilots Alex (Axel) Holden and Chris (Iceman) Mooney are both MIA. Last transmission: "This is Hawkeye to Humphreys. We'd like to report a major storm about...80 Klicks north of the base. Over". However, records indicate a significant lack of dangerous weather in the area.
1. Chapter 1

Setting:

Earth year- 2017

Camp Humphreys (Military base in South Korea)

Mekkah- Sometime during the events of Two Kinds by: Thomas Fischbach

Main Characters:

Alex (Codename: Axel)

Age 25, Pilot of A-10B

Chris (Iceman)

Age 24, Co-pilot of Axel

Speech marks:

Keidran: ...

Human: "..."

Basitin: {...}

Thought: _Italics_ (no parentheses)

Emphasis: " _Italics_ "

Coms: **Bold** (no asterisks)

Sound: ***Bold***

(Alex's POV)

 **zzzzzZT** … " **This is Hawkeye to Camp Humphreys, objective is complete. We are returning to base. Over."**

" **This is Camp Humphrey to Hawkeye, we read you loud and clear. You are cleared for direct back to base. Weather is clear and traffic is minimal. Over."**

" **Rooooooger with an** _ **extra**_ **dodger! Over."** *Snicker* _I swear it gets funnier every time!_

" **I-I'm sorry say again?"**

" **Disregard! Disregard, Axel said Roger! Hawkeye returning to base. Over."**

" **R-Roger that…"**

"Aww common Axel, did you really have to?"

"You bet I did Iceman! C'mon you can't say you didn't find that just a liiitle funny." I said playfully.

Chris tried to maintain a serious attitude but quickly gave it up and chuckled, "Heh, ok maybe just a bit. But you're explaining it to Bulldog when we get back!"

"Ehh Bulldog'll be fine. He _loves_ me! I mean what isn't there to love about the _best pilot on the base?_ " I said turning around and wiggling my eyebrows at Chris. This earned a laugh from him as he knew how much trouble I'd get into on a regular basis and how mad Bulldog will probably be.

...

After those few minutes of laughter it was back to the silence that usually fell over us at this portion of the flight. We were about an hour or so away from Humphreys but we had run out of things to talk about. I decided to strike up some conversation to try and get rid of this awkward silence.

"Soooo… you think North Korea's gonna make a move?"

As I turned around to say this I knocked the pen I was using to finish up the flight plan onto the cockpit floor. _God dammit_ I silently cursed myself as I reached down to grab the pen while I listened to Chris.

"Well… I don't really know at this point. Kim Jong over there keeps making these threats bu-... Huh? That's...weird..."

"What is it?" I asked as I finally grasped the pen and began maneuvering my arm out from under the seat where it had rolled.

"Humphreys tower said the weather was clear...right?"

"Yeah. Why do you ask?…Oh...that...is definitely _not_ clear."

In front of us, a giant wall of storm clouds had seemed to materialize out of thin air. "Wow, the weather around here really changes...fast…Guess I'm gonna have to report it in."

I picked up the radio, eyeing the storm ahead skeptically.

" **This is Hawkeye to Humphreys. We'd like to report a major storm about...80 Klicks north of the base. Over"**

" **This is camp Humphreys. We do no- *static* -a storm anyw- *static* -the base. Over."**

" **Say again?"**

" **Repeat, we do not det- *static* -a storm anywhere nea- *static* -the ba- ZZzzzt… "**

" **This is Hawkeye to base, do you read?"**

 ***static***

" **I repeat, this is Hawkeye to base, do you read?"**

 ***Static***

 _Thats weird... The coms seem to have gone dead._ I begin fiddling with the knobs on the radio.

" **Hello! Anybody! This is Hawkeye to base. Do you read!?"**

 ***Static***

As I mess with the radio I notice something else peculiar. The small magnetic compass on the instrument panel begins to slowly rotate counter-clockwise. _What is this?_ I begin tapping on the glass until I notice another issue. Each electronic instrument panel begins to glitch out. _This isn't normal…_

"Hey, Iceman?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you having trouble with your electronics?"

"Uh...yeah… my compass isn't wo- UGH!"

Suddenly the plane lurches unexpectedly. I look up in surprise.

"What the hell was…that…huh?" I notice that the storm is no longer a ways away, but practically on top of the plane. It seems to have almost jumped forward, completely surrounding us.

"When the hell did this happen?" I said, gesturing to the black and billowing clouds surrounding us.

"I-I have no idea… Do you think it's a cyclone?

"Whatever it is, I could have sworn it was at least 20 klicks south of us a minute ago."

The plane begins to shake and shudder as it is buffeted by the strong winds that seem to have come from nowhere.

"Well it seems we're stuck in it now. I say we try and circle inside this...eye...until it is safer to break the wall."

The clouds around the aircraft had, if possible, seemed to increased drastically in size and grown even darker than they were before. The flashes of lightning inside the black clouds was also increasing in frequency with the explosions of thunder growing louder along with it.

"No argument here…"

I put the A-10 into a lazy circle, making sure to stay inside the eye of the storm. As the plane begins turning, the wind outside seems to grow stronger and the turbulence along with it.

"I thought the- UGH… eye was supposed t-to be calm!"

As the plane continues to turn, I notice the walls seem to be getting closer. _This isn't like any storm I've ever been in…_

"I-Is it just me, or are the walls gett-UGH….g-getting closer?"

"It does appear that way… what the hell kinda storm is thi-?!"

*BEEP BEEP BEEP* Suddenly, it seems as if every alarm in the cockpit begins wailing for no reason at all. Every instrument begins going crazy all at once. It is complete chaos! And the same can be said for the weather outside.

 _Im not even su-ARGH… Sure if the plane is flying on it's own accord any more!_

"Chris! I'm losing control!" I yell over the blaring sirens and roaring wind outside the cockpit.

"C'mon Axel, keep it together! You're the best damn pilot in the- AARRGHH!"

We are both pinned to our seats as the plane is practically thrown into the eyewall by a sudden gust of wind. The Instrument panel explodes sending sparks flying everywhere. The only thing I can do is shield my eyes and hold on to the seat for dear life as I try to will myself not to lose consciousness.

 _If I black out now, I am as good as dead._

I start to feel the effects of the Immense G-forces taking a toll on my body.

 _I...cannot lose... consciousness._

Blackness begins forming at the edges of my vision.

 _I...cannot lose... consciousness!_

Over the blaring sirens, the screeching warnings, the sparks flying, and the torrent of wind… I hear Chris scream one word. The one word I hoped to never hear in my Piloting career but trained for with countless hours of drills and procedures.

"EJECT!"

With that single command I pushed the darkness from my vision, and mustering all my strength into my right arm, reached down to the front of my seat, and pulled the yellow and black striped handle.

" WE. WILL. NOT. DIE!"

 ***BAM**!* The canopy is blown open letting the winds it had blocked from entering flow through the cockpit. Ripping at my clothes and temporarily causing me to loose my hearing. I hear nothing but ringing and the very faint sound of Chris screaming over the raging wind.

"AHHHHHHHHH!"

 ***FWOOSH!*** The sudden, crushing G-forces associated with the firing of the rocket motors to propel me from the tumbling aircraft yank my body and crush it into the chair.

I finally can't hold onto my consciousness any longer and give in to the blackout I had been keeping from overcoming my mind. But right before I pass out from the extreme G-forces, I feel an energy, almost like an...electric current...flow through my body.

And then...white.

All I see is whiteness…

All I feel is weightlessness…

My body completely numb…


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

(James POV)

 ***KRACKOOOOM!*** "Wah!- what the?!" I woke with a start as my room was flooded with a blinding flash and a deafening rumble.

 _Ugh, a storm must have started over night..._

After being jolted awake by the sudden commotion it was basically impossible to fall back asleep.

After tossing and turning for a while I eventually gave up and decided to just watch the light show unfolding outside.

I made my way out onto the balcony outside my bedroom. The storm hadn't really hit yet but the lightning was definitely growing closer with each flash. I sat down in a chair, gazing at the spectacle unfolding in front of me.

Each bolt of lightning would illuminate the forest surrounding my property, casting shadows that danced around the yard. I felt each rumble of thunder and stared, captivated by the powerful storm that was forming around me.

 _If only I could harness this power...Use it for magic… I bet i'd make a better grand templar than that Trace guy. Who does he think he is, basically declaring war on Keidran..._

As the wind picked up the storm grew more and more . Each burst of light would now show the mountainous clouds that were forming over my house.

 _Haven't had a storm like this in a_ long _time._

I watched as the trees swayed and bent every which way. _Ok… maybe it's time to go inside now_ … But as I began to enter the house, I was startled by a noise that definitely was not from any normal storm.

 ***FWoOoOoOm!*** I turned around just in time to see a strange blue ring of light emanate from the center of the storm. "What in Mekkah?!" I watched in confusion as a very soft whine could be heard in the clouds.

The whine continued to grow louder and louder as I covered my ears to try and block out the now deafening scream. I look up and my eyes widened.

Against the now distant flashes of lightning, I can see a strange object falling out of the sky.

It tumbles toward the trees with two small… _Are those people? And if so how are they flying?!_ following slowly behind.

 ***BOOOOM!*** I jump back from the gigantic explosion, trip over the bottom of the door frame, and fall through the doorway, into the house, and onto the ground, slamming my head against the hardwood floor.

 _Oww…_

…

I felt my eyes flutter as I groggily regained consciousness, sitting up while lightly rubbing the back of my head.

I opened my eyes and took note of my surroundings.

 _What in the gods names am I doing on the ground?_

I could vividly remember events of last night but it was as if my mind was in a fog.

I pushed myself up, putting my feet below me and standing.

 _Oh...that was a mistake._

I immediately regretted it as my world began spinning and I fell against the wall.

 _Well I must have banged my head pretty hard._ I painfully thought as my head began pounding.

I waited until the pain subsided and braced myself against the wall.

 _Ok, let's try that a bit slower._

This time I very slowly and carefully pushed myself up and, heavily leaning against the wall, put my feet under me again and stood.

 _Ok… good… now where did I put those healing herbs…_

My stomach dropped as the answer slowly crept into my fogged mind.

 _It's downstairs… Shit…_

…

After almost falling down the stairs on multiple occasions I managed to make it to the first floor of my modest home. Continuing to use the wall as a brace, I hobbled my way to the kitchen still pondering about what had happened last night.

 _Could I have been dreaming? If so, then how did I find myself on the floor… Ah! Sleep walking! That's it._

Settling on that answer, I opened the cabinet, observing the many jars across the shelves and grabbing the one labeled 'Healing Stones'.

I unscrewed the cap lid and held the stone up to my head. I concentrated and let the warmth that seemed to emanate from the rock and spread through my body.

Soon the headache went away and I was able to stand on my own, but the stone still hadn't cleared the fuzz from my mind.

I decided to brush it off and make up my room since I wasn't exactly able to earlier.

I made my way back up the stairs and into my room, deciding to start out on the deck since the winds had thrown the furniture everywhere.

 _So there was a storm…_ I thought to myself grabbing chairs from across the balcony and returning them to there various places.

As I fixed up the deck, something caught my eye. I looked up and my eyes widened as they laid upon a black pillar of smoke rising from somewhere in the distance.

 _What is tha-..._ It was as if the fog that had filled my mind finally lifted as I recollected the events of last night.

"Oh…" _Should I go...check it out? It's only about an hours walk from here. And I'm sure_

My curiosity got the best of me and I went downstairs to grab my cloak and shoes. I sheathed my sword and slung my pack over my shoulders.

 _Just in case…_


End file.
